undergrounds | Bloody Barnet

They're small, yes, but the rest of Circle Midnight looks to them. Or, rather, Abigail. Her two fellow founders remain in the shadows, unnamed. Which is both a blessing and a curse. Still, it was the bargain she'd struck when they agreed to it, and there was no going back now.

She'd called them together.

"If we don't act," she said, voice low, "we run the serious risk of Redbright blocking us in. The Night Council doesn't care about the werewolves, and they might well take the Forest just to have us surrounded."

She thought it was a serious possibility that couldn't be discounted.

"We have to try and expand. Now."

They'd taken Enfield, but it hadn't had a strong presence either way. This time, they would have to strike at Redbright directly. Because she wouldn't risk the tenuous alliance with the werewolves. Which meant it had to be Redbright. And they had justifiable grounds for doing what she wanted.

"I want to try and take Barnet back."

Back. As if it'd ever been theirs in the first place. But it might as well have been. It had been a haven of neutrality before.

Balem

Asking a fae for help was always a difficult matter. And one she was already preparing a contract with was even more dangerous. She'd offered him her soul for her life and line. What more could she give? Still, they had a common enemy. While Redbright territories were technically open to the fae, Sylvia was still the leader of Circle Daybreak.

How long before their influence spread?

She'd sent word and greeted the man with a polite bow of her head when he approached. She tried to smile.

"Thank you for coming."

Cooper

Walking in vampire territory didn't make her nervous. They all knew who she was, and she was considered, at the very least, a neutral presence. She worked with the werewolves, but she'd never acted against the vampires. So, she could be tolerated.

It wasn't hard to text Cooper and arrange a meeting.

"Hey." She gave a little smile, but it was strained. "Thanks. I figured this should probably be discussed face to face."

Misc

There was cause for her to be in Barnet. She found excuses. Mostly, though, she found the pockets of Circle Midnight that survived. All of them pledged their support. However, there was no way to do it completely privately. Allies and enemies alike could easily see her in the borough.

Who struck the first blow, no one could say. Midnight and Daybreak witches had exchanged heated words, and Midnight had spoken out against Redbright. Someone -- or maybe multiple someones -- had turned violent. Where exactly the hostilities had begun, what side had started it... Well, that was likely to be debated for some time.

But the fighting began.

For her part, Abigail didn't shy away from it. Her place was in the fore, leading the witches of Circle Midnight. Fire spells and telekinesis were in full use, the spells cast as quickly as she could to protect her and hers.

When there were quiet moments and moreso when the battle was obviously lost, Abigail turned her attention to more discreet actions, like guiding those Midnight witches who remained out of Barnet and into the sanctuary of Enfield.

Too many people were dead.

The losses on both sides were regrettable. She'd expected people to get hurt. She'd even been willing to accept some deaths. However, it had become worse than she'd expected. It would be a regrettable chapter in the history of the supernatural world, especially among witches. But it would be a chapter not to be forgotten.

Circle Midnight -- isolated, ragtag -- had produced a leader. They hadn't won their battle, no, but they'd struck a decisive blow. Because, at the end of the day, that leader was alive, and her spirit was unbroken. They were a force to be noticed.

Shadow Coven

"The Night Council has asked to see me."

It was best to just say it. To tell the others what had happened.

Even if the idea was completely terrifying. Still, she needed to go. If she didn't, she risked being seen as a coward. Besides, the Night Council wouldn't hurt her with their name attached to the invitation.

"I think we've scared them."

It was a witch coven who first raised the alarm, although the witch population was relatively small in Barnet. Perhaps because they were on edge following the increase in fae activity, or perhaps because the Midnight witches were actively targeting them before Barnet's other supernatural residents. That wasn't clear. But Barnet was a territory declared a safe zone by the Redbright Institute, and that meant they had a duty to end any violence taking place in the borough.

The Redbright forces were deployed quickly and effectively. The fighting was not prolonged, but it was bloody. So it was as the Midnight witches were driven back that Sylvia made an appearance on the ground, first to ensure a decisive victory and second to see for herself what damage had been done.

"They won't do this again," she promised. "I'll put a stop to it myself."

She knew who was responsible for this: Abigail, the self-declared leader of a Midnight coven. The girl had overstepped her boundaries – literally. Sylvia intended to make sure that she was dealt with.

In ordinary circumstances, it was a great honour to be invited to the Night Council's seat of power in Westminster. This wasn't one of those circumstances.

Abigail was not to face the entire Council, at least not yet. Instead, she was ushered into Sylvia's office, where Sylvia herself was leaning against her desk, adjusting her expression to one of weary patience as she watched Abby step inside. Behind her the curtains were drawn, shrouding the office in shadow. A desk lamp provided the only illumination.

She was surprised that Abby had come of her own accord, rather than having to be dragged here. Well, no. She wasn't surprised. A move like that had arrogance written all over it, and the girl had proven herself to be astonishingly arrogant. What angered Sylvia was that her recklessness had cost lives.

The door clicked shut behind Abigail. They weren't alone.

"Tell me," Sylvia said, meeting the girl's eyes. "Are you sorry for what you've done?"

A small part of Abigail had been screaming at her since she'd accepted the invitation. Even if she knew it would be difficult to cover up, there was a fear that she wasn't going to leave this building. At least not alive. No amount of telling herself that was baseless paranoia worked.

Still, she knew she had to obey. Better to make it 'her' idea and walk in back straight and head held level. She was no equal to Sylvia, and they both knew it. But she couldn't act like she was terrified.

She looked every bit a Widdowson. For this, she needed to borrow that dark strength from her ancestors. Despite her best attempts with make-up, one could still see the scratches on her face and the circles under her eyes.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when the door closed, and she swallowed harder than she liked. But there was nothing to be done. If she showed too much fear here, she lost whatever power she'd gained by proving a force to be reckoned with. Besides, she wasn't here just for her coven. Others had approached her, those willing to take a chance on someone who'd defied Redbright and (at least for now) lived to tell. Other covens were keeping quiet, but some had come forward. To her. She spoke for more Midnight witches than herself, Kenzi, and Nancy now. She had to consider all of them.

"I'm regret the losses everyone has suffered."

"So do I," she said, but that wasn't an apology. That wasn't enough. Sylvia regretted the losses, wished that she could have done more to prevent them, but she wasn't responsible. That charge lay with Abigail, and Sylvia wanted to see her confess. Wanted her to show contrition. Actually she'd quite like Abby to grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness, but she knew that wouldn't happen.

The light in the office flickered as a shadow moved across it, throwing the lines of Sylvia's face into sharp relief. The figure revealed itself to be a young dark-haired woman. She retreated to a corner, observing in silence.

"Half the Daybreak covens want to have you tried and executed," Sylvia went on. "They want justice for their loved ones. And the others in Barnet, those we promised to protect, they want to know that this won't happen again. Their safety is my responsibility. So, I could ask my friend here to eat you–"

A fanged grin from the sentry–

"Or we could come to terms. Starting with an apology."

"I will apologize," Abigail said, even as her hand shook by her side at the presence of a vampire, "when you do for the witches who died when you claimed Barnet."

She'd seen one. She'd heard about others. Her eyes narrowed a little.

"Or do those lives not matter because they're not Daybreak?"

She was going to get herself killed. But she had to hold her ground. Even if she was afraid, she had to stand firm. She had to try and do this for all of them.

"You claim to care for all of us," Abigail said, her eyes narrowed just a little. "But you only care about the ones who think and speak and act like you want." It was a dangerous thing to say, but she had to make sure Sylvia knew. She probably already knew. If not, she would have found out soon. "I don't just speak for my coven any longer. Others have asked me to speak for them."

That got a very pronounced eyebrow raise. Abigail dared to speak with righteous anger after the attack she had just led on a peaceful community? The Redbright Institute had made Barnet safer by driving out the unsavoury elements, with minimal casualties. All Abigail had done was incite violence. Worse, she was inciting other Midnight witches if her words were to be believed.

This was the threat she posed as far as Sylvia was concerned, that she might draw other Midnight witches and worse to her cause like moths to a flame.

"Then you will apologize, not only for yourself, but on behalf of your coven and everyone you claim to represent. You will issue a formal apology in public and you will never attack a Redbright territory again."

It was important to make Circle Midnight's defeat public, even if most of them were still in hiding, to make an example of them.

"No."

The word came out harsher than she meant. It was foolish, but it was better than falling to bended knee and begging. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with all the pride she could show.

"We will not sit by passively and allow you to box us in, waiting for you to decide to remove us entirely." Her hand that had been shaking curled in on itself, her nails digging into her palm. Then, she takes a deep breath. If she completely refuses, all of them are as good as dead. "But."

Deep breath. And another. She had to brace herself.

"We will hold back from attacking Institute territories and Daybreak territories if -- and only if -- you do the same for us."

The girl had a backbone. One that Sylvia would like to snap. But finally, she showed a modicum of common sense and made a counter offer that Sylvia could consider. A pact of mutual non-violence. It was a result she could use to reassure both Circle Daybreak and Redbright territories, and if honoured it meant that she could leave aside her concerns about Midnight for the moment and concentrate on the real threat: the fae.

A moment or two of silence passed. The vampire's eyes were on Abigail, waiting for the command to attack.

"Very well," Sylvia said. "Go back to your corner and stay there. We'll leave you alone if you leave us alone. I don't want any more dead witches on my watch. I'll expect your apology within the week."

Abigail let herself give a sigh of relief. It's not the best circumstance for all of it, no. However, it's something. It leaves them with fewer outright enemies, even if everyone will know this truce is precarious at best. Still, it was something.

"You'll have it."

Couched in political terms, carefully written. But she has a week to do it. To make sure she's not admitting more than she has to for this to be done.

Good. But she wasn't done yet. Sylvia went on: "And, as a guarantee of your trust, I want the names of all the witches in your coven."

After all, it was only fair that she knew who exactly she was making a deal with.

"Only if they agree. I won't compromise them without their permission."

She didn't have bargaining room. Except for the possibility of more bloodshed. But she couldn't do that to Kenzi and Nancy, and they wouldn't ever agree to let her give Sylvia their names.

She had to offer something, though. But what?

"Is there something else I can do as a gesture of good faith, Ms Redbright?"

She gave a faint smile. Oh, the girl was all politeness now, wasn't she. Sylvia straightened up, brushing away some imaginary specks of dust from her sleeves.

"If you're ever to be the leader you truly want to be, you'll need to do what's best for your people. Your coven won't be compromised. That information will be kept between you, me and the Night Council."

"And what's best for my people is to not betray their trust," Abigail responded, her back straightening a bit. "You can promise they won't be compromised, but that doesn't mean they'll believe it."

And, just to make her point--

"I doubt you completely believe I'll hold to this non-aggression pact."

There was no trust between them. There couldn't be, and they both knew it. At the very least, they would need time to see that they really would hold to it on both sides. Until then, either of them trusting each other was foolish.

"So, I'm not really inclined to just hand those names over, ma'am."

Barnet had made plenty of people's true colors show. Some people were cowards, some people went blank, some people became violent. Some laughed - Kenzi didn't like those ones too much.

Kenzi was much more resigned to this than she would like to be. Ideally, she'd be like Abigail. But Kenzi figured she'd done her time trying to act brave in the face of being beaten down. She could just not feel anything for a while, right?

When Abigail announced the Night Council's 'invitation' she scrunched her lips together tiredly.

"They're probably going to kill you."

Hey. Realism was healthy.

"Don't 'ma'am' me like it's an insult." For a moment she sounded like a teacher. Behave, young lady. "There is little point in coming to a truce if neither party intends to abide by it. I intend to abide by it. I hope you do. So convince me. Give me those names."

Sylvia knew the terms she wanted. Abigail would not be leaving this room until those terms were met.

For a few moments, Abigail hesitated. The others wouldn't forgive her. She wouldn’t forgive herself. After all, there were other 'neutral' parties in the Night Council who might decide to do a favour for their president without the truce ever being broken. She had to protect her coven.

"I can't," she said.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. There was one hope. It would make her look naive if Sylvia believed it at all, but she had to try.

"I don't know their names. We use code names and contact each other through burner mobiles. Precisely so no one has this information. I can give you the numbers and aliases, but that's all I have."

She almost laughed. Was Abby leading a coven or an online chat? Surely this had to be a ridiculous story. Sylvia had been present at the party Abigail had thrown at Geap Manor. The people she invited came from somewhere, and they weren't all Daybreak witches. If this was true, Abby was in a weaker position than she had thought, but frankly she found it hard to believe.

"Oh dear," she said. "A coven isn't a coven if you don't know who its members are. A coven is a circle of trust. You're not lying to me, are you, Abigail?"

If there was one thing Sylvia disliked, it was deception.

"I don't need their names to know them," she replied, perhaps a little too defensively. But that tone helped sell what she was saying. "However--"

It still made her uneasy, but this... This, she could do.

"I'll know their names on June 22nd. A year and a day after the coven began. That was our agreement, so none of us were bound until we could trust each other."

June. That was almost a year away. Far too long. Sylvia would hope to put a stop to this fledging coven long before then. Clearly, the girl wasn't going to give up the names of her own accord. Which left Sylvia with no other choice.

"I see," she said.

She exhaled, then walked around her desk to stop and open one of the drawers. The vampire in the corner grinned suddenly, sensing that she would be needed. Sylvia picked up a small crystal vial with an ornate stopper, twirling it around in her fingers, and then an ordinary teaspoon.

If Abigail was having second thoughts about having come here, the vampire would soon prevent any attempt at escape. She moved forward to take Abigail by the arm, then twisted her hands behind her back, forcing Abigail to approach the desk.

Sylvia opened the crystal vial and poured one, two, three drops of clear liquid onto the spoon. No need to waste more than was necessary.

"I'm afraid I need to be sure that what you say is true," she explained. "If it is, you have nothing to fear."

"Open wide," said the vampire, a hint of a laugh in her voice as Sylvia approached.

Abigail could take the truth serum. Or she could struggle and have her head forced back and her jaw prised open until she had to take it. Either way.

The moment she saw the spoon, Abigail tried to move. However, a young woman against a vampire didn't stand much chance, and she was quickly brought to heel. Even then, she struggled for a few moments before realising that it was pointless. Which didn't stop her from clamping her teeth together.

That offered no real resistance either.

When the liquid was forced down her throat, she tried hard not to swallow, but reflexes are reflexes. The glare she gave was vicious. If looks could kill... Well, she probably wouldn't have survived her own party, but.

The vampire kept hold of Abigail, ensuring that she knew exactly who was in charge here. Sylvia stoppered the bottle and returned it to the drawer, then sat down to regard Abigail with a measured look.

"Who else is in your coven?"

The serum would force her to answer.

Abby tried to keep herself quiet, but the potion wouldn't allow it. She felt sick as she fought it. Still, there was no use. The names came, one after the other. A handful of young woman. When she got to the last of the names, her eyes were narrowed viciously.

"Kenzi. Nancy. No last names."

Then, unable to lie and unwilling to even try, despite there being a vampire holding onto her.

"If any of them are hurt, I will retaliate against your other 'daughters.' The ones you actually care about. I don't care if you do it or someone else does. They get hurt, your Daybreak covens are paying the price in blood."

Never before had she understood the Widdowson legacy. The anger and hate that had driven so many deals of her family. The fear that dogged them. Now, she knew. She could feel why her family's history was written in blood. If she had to write another chapter in the same ink, she would.

"That... is definitely possible."

She can't laugh about it, make it a joke. Because it's something she's been thinking since she received the letter. This could very well be the Night Council giving her the chance to meet her death with a straight back. Which she'd do.

"But I can't say no."

Sylvia took notes with pen and paper as if Abigail was just another student making a confession to try and get out of trouble. She put the pen down when the girl lapsed into a hate-filled diatribe, almost shaking her head in wonder.

"You vicious little bitch," she murmured. "I hope these poor girls in your coven have more sense. Are you working with any fae? I want names."

This was another key question for Sylvia. Her people had suffered at the hands of the so-called fair folk, and she suspected that the rise of Circle Midnight and the faerie courts was not a coincidence.

"I'm not the only bitch here," Abigail spat back. She couldn't deny she was, no. Especially after being force-fed truth potion. But she wasn't even going to try to hold back what she thought of Sylvia.

"Only Unthank. I'm contacting another fae, but he's not working with Circle Midnight. Not in any formal capacity. If he chooses to help us, it's because he wants to. Not because we have a deal."

She chose to ignore the insult. Sylvia didn't care what Abigail thought of her, she cared about the threat that her coven might pose.

"And who is this fae?"

"Abrasax."

This wouldn't be forgiven or forgotten. Abigail gave a token thrash against the vampire's grip, even though she knew it was hopeless.

Another scribble on the notepad. It wasn't a name she had heard before, but it could be investigated. Sylvia regarded Abigail for a moment, then waved a hand. The vampire stepped back, releasing her.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm glad that we could come to an agreement. I meant what I said, Abigail. Our discussion here today will remain confidential."

Above all, their ceasefire had to remain intact. Even if the peace was undoubtedly shaky.

Abigail rubbed one of her shoulders a bit. The urge to flee was... high, but they weren't done. She had to protect her coven. Her Circle. They mattered more than she did. So, she took a deep breath, forced her back straight.

"I want to be able to be sure. It's easy to say -- that no one else will know. But what if they do? What if someone decides to 'take care of' members of Circle Midnight? What assurance do I have that you and the Night Council won't just look away?"

Besides her own threat to retaliating against Daybreak fivefold.

Sylvia gave her a considering look. The girl was persistent. And the question she asked wasn't easy, because it raised two conflicting issues. The first was Sylvia's mission to get rid of dark magic, and therefore Circle Midnight, altogether. If a Midnight witch died, well, perhaps it was for the best. They had taken down more than one dangerous, murderous witch in recent years. And after Circle Midnight's attack on Barnet, why shouldn't she look away if Abigail's witches were threatened? It was no more than they deserved, and less than many of her covens wanted.

But... She was the Mother of Witches. She had a duty to all her children, even the wayward ones. Even Abigail. That was why despite everything, Sylvia had sought a peaceful agreement with Abigail rather than killing her outright. She had allowed Circle Midnight to have their coven in Enfield, against her better judgement, because she could not destroy a fellow witch except as a last resort.

She folded her arms, voice soft. "If someone else targets a Midnight witch, it won't be because of what you've said here today. You have my word on that. Threatening to retaliate even if we had nothing to do with it isn't smart, Abigail. It's reckless and dangerous, and it will only harm you in the long run."

Kenzi grimaces a small smile, but she wants to make her every kind of protective amulet she possibly can after this. If she comes back.

She doesn't voice that, and instead goes in for a hug. Abigail has earned as much.

"Don't die, okay?"

"I want something more tangible than your word." Abigail herself is surprised how boldly it comes out. Perhaps because she can either push further or else retreat entirely. And if she cowers now and lets herself cry? Everything she's fought for will be reduced to ash. "You protect your covens from the vampires and the werewolves and others. I want the same."

There would always be outliers, yes. Dangerous radicals on the fringes. And she doesn't relish the idea of hurting innocent people to repay those actions. But the threat of it is something to bargain with.

"If there is legal protection for us as there is for Daybreak, we will consider attacks made against us -- provided they are not merely swept under the rug but are investigated and prosecuted -- to be unrelated to the truce."

And, therefore, free from any retaliation.

There was leeway, she knew. A good show of investigating. Finding a scapegoat to pin it on. But there would always be a thousand loopholes. At least this might give some show of something to take to her fellow Midnight members. She owed them that much for having betrayed them already.

Sylvia raised her eyebrows. "You're asking for special treatment? After you attacked us?"

The bare-faced cheek of it. It was almost admirable.

Abigail took a deep breath. Her right hand's fingers tapped against her thigh. It was more than she wanted to show, but it was the least she could get away with doing without losing her cool completely. Still, she stood her ground as still as she could.

"You want to know we won't lash out for things you and yours aren't responsible. All I'm asking for is the security to know that someone won't decide to do you a favor and strike against us."

Abigail returns the hug, clinging tightly to Kenzi for a moment. But it let her hold onto someone. Let her be afraid for a short while.

"I'll try," she says, making the attempt to laugh.

"No, what you're asking for is to be spared the consequences of your own actions." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "You know, Circle Daybreak has no special legal protection. Nor do any of the boroughs cared for by my school. What we have are alliances, the ability to protect ourselves, and a desire to keep the peace."

Perhaps, she thought, there was a way to turn Abigail's demand in her favour. Rising, Sylvia moved around to approach the girl.

"If you want that protection to be extended to your coven, you'll have to do more than merely refrain from attacking us." She held out her hand, offering a smile. "Become our ally. Help us keep the peace."

What choice did she have? With a vampire who could physically stop her from leaving and a woman who could call down the full force of the Night Council and easily hide her involvement...

"We'll settle on the precise terms in writing." She just needed to get out. Needed to put as much physical distance between her and this building as she could. Needed to sink into her bedroom in Geap Manor, where nothing could hurt her. "But I agree."

She extended her hand to shake Sylvia's, and she could all but feel her skin crawl.

Sylvia's smile widened, and it was a smile of victory. She wasn't a fae, so the promises she made weren't magically binding, but she had the means to ensure that Abigail kept to her agreement.

"Good," she said. "We'll be in touch."

With that, Sylvia stepped back, clasping her hands in front of her, and it was the vampire guard who moved forward to escort Abigail out of the room. Only when she reached a part of the building where sunlight intruded did the vampire retreat.

As for Sylvia, she had a different task ahead of her. Persuading the rest of the Night Council to sign off on this agreement. It would take time; legal documents always did. But she would get it done.

Bloody Barnet

Preparations - (Shadow Coven)

Preparations - (Allies)

Conflict

Aftermath

Towards the end of the conflict

Night Council summons

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Shadow Coven

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